Al Khor coach Andre Lima spoke to the media ahead of their play-off match against Al Markhiya that will determine who will play in next season’s QNB Stars League.

“It is going to be a decisive match. We are not afraid of facing any team, but we have to dominate Al Markhiya, a team that reached the semifinals of Amir Cup, beating Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa on the way.

“They are able to spring surprises, so we must avoid all mistakes that can cost you goals. We must impose our style on the field by believing in our abilities and respecting Al Markhiya from the first minute until the end of the game.

“We cannot relax and we must not lose our focus from the first minute till end. The conditions and atmosphere in the team are good despite our situation in this season. We lost points in many games, which we did not deserve to lose,” said Andre Lima.

Al Khor player Naif Al Buraiki said, “Our role as senior players throughout the season is to motivate other players and explain to them that any match is a football match. Our game against Al Markhiya is special because it is a play-off match. Because we were playing in the First Division, it is natural that we are under pressure and our role is to support the players in order to play without any pressure. We must respect Al Markhiya a lot because they are a good team. We must exploit their weaknesses.

“We did not want to be playing the play-off match. But we, as players, put ourselves in this situation. No one can take us out of this situation except ourselves, so we must pass this stage and make the cut.”